Electric regulator for internal-combustion engines



Feb. 6, 1923. H. OGDEN 1,444,425.

ELECTRIC REGULATOR FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

FILED Iv'l/IY 22.1522.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Hgrbar Og n INVENT OR;

Feb. 6, 1920. HI OGDEN 1,444,420.

ELECTRIC REGULATOR FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

FILED MAYZZ. T922.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

H erberT Ogden INVENTOR;

BS .Z Attimag Patented Feb. 6, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT OGDEN, OF WESTCLIFF-ON-SEA, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO BRITISH ARC WELDING COMPANY, LIMITED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

ELECTRIC REGULATOR FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Application filed May 22, 1922. Serial No. 562,704.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT OGDEN, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Blythswood, Seymour Road, lVestcliif-on-Sea, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Electric Regulators for Internal-Combustion Engines (for which I have filed an application in Great Britain, March 22, 1921, No. 8798), of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electric regulators for internal combustion engines and has for its object the control of such engines when they are subjected to sudden loads or sudden release from loads.

hen an internal combustion engine is driving a generator for supplying current to an are when the arc is struck a sudden load is imposed in the generator and this is substantially constant while the arc is main tained and when the arc is broken the load in the generator is suddenly reduced to light running load.

The present invention provides for the efficient and reliable control of the engine under such conditions.

In the past it has been customary to use in connection with arc welding machines an electromagnetically operated substitutional resistance whereby the load onthe machine was maintained at a practically constant value. This system of regulation leads to waste of power as the load is kept constant irrespective of whether the current is being utilized or not.

This invention essentially comprises an electromagnet, included in the electric are circuit, an armature in proximity to the poles of said magnet, a spring acting on the armature in opposition to the magnetic pull, a throttle device mechanically connected to the armature and stops for limiting the movement of the throttle.

Referring to the drawings- Fig. 1 illustrates in front elevation a device constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. '2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 illustrates an arrangement in which an auxiliary throttle is provided for independent control.

In Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the electromagnet a is excited by current drawn from the arc welding circuit of the generator I). The magnet winding may be connected in series with the arc welding circuit, but it is preferable to use a magnet winding of high resistance compared with the resistance of the arc welding circuit and shunt it across the steadying resistance 0 of the arc circuit. Obviously, the magnet winding could be shunted across any part of the arc circuit, but the arrangement. in the circuit as illustrated has been found most convenient. The magnet winding must not be shunted across the armature of the generator or be in series with the field coils d of the generator as such connection would render the device inoperative. The bracket 6 is mounted concentrically with the throttle valve spindle f on the boss 9 of the throttle valve body it and may be rotatable about. the boss 9 or be permanently fixed to the boss 9 by a set screw. The bracket 0 is made of nonmagnetic material such as brass and on it is mounted the electro magnet a as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. An armature j of soft ironiis pivoted at. is, one end of the said armature j having a strong helical spring Z attached thereto the other end of said spring Z being anchored to a projection on the soft iron yoke m. The other end of the armature j is connected by means of a pivoted link 0 to the throttle valve lever q. The throttle lever Q is fixed to the throttle valve spindle f by means of a set screw r and angularly displaces the throttle valve 8 upon actuation.- The advantage secured by the link mechanism is such that a small angular displacement of the armature j effects a large angular displacement of the throttle lever 9 so that the armature j can be maintained in the requisite close proximity to the poles t of the electro'magnet m for all settings of the throttle valve 8. Two adjustable stops u and 2' are mounted on the bracket 0 to limit the movement of the throttle lever g and are adjusted and fixed in appropriate position. These positions are such that when the throttle lever 11 is up against the stop u the throttle valve is correctly adjusted for maintaining the desired engine speed with no load on the driven electric generator b and when the throttle valve 9 is up against the stop '0 the throttle valve .9 is correctly adjusted for maintaining thedesired engine speed with the driven electric generatoron working load. The function of the spring 1 5 is to hold the throttle lever g securely against the'stop u so long as the electromagnet a is not excited, that is to say, so long as the generator is running light. In the loaded condition of the generator the electromagnet a is excited and the resultant pull exerted on the armature j is greatly in excess of the pull of the spring Z and the throttle lever g a is maintained in contact with the stop v which is'the correct position: for the loaded condition of the engine. It will be seen that this device does not operate by balancing the j pull of the electromagnet against the ull of the spring but by overcoming it. he spring is amply strong enough to overcome with ease the inertia of the moving parts and the friction thereof, and the electromagnet when excited overcomes the. pull of said, spring. 'There are thuspositions .of the throttle lever relative to the bracket 6 which ositions ardefined by the stopsu, and v. 0 intermediate position is possible and thus the device is character ized by the fact that the throttle valve a must be in one of two extreme positions which positions are defined by the stops it and 1). v When rlo welding is in progress, the external circuit ofthe generator I) is open and the magnet a is not excited and consequently the throttle lever g is held against the stop it under the action of the spring Z. When an electric arc is struck at 00 the external circuit of the generator I) is closed, the magnet a' is excited and consequently the throttle lever q is drawn to and held against the stop v. The interval of time taken for switching the throttle valve from one position to the other can be made very small, of the order 1/100 "of a second. With a four cylinder four stroke engine running at 900 revolutions per minute the number of full volume explosions missed while the adjustment is being efl'ected is at most one, so that the loss of driving power is extremely small.

As illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the bracket 6 is provided with a lever e operating in conjunction with aquadrant 6 so as to enable the throttle s to be angularly displaced without disturbing the setting of the stops it and a. By this arrangement it is possible to employ the engine for traction purposes, when welding is not to be effected, the'lever e being placed in a predetermined position whenarc-welding operations are to be carried out. i

In the modified application, as illustrated in- Fig. 4c, a bifurcated induction pipe is employed each of the bifurcations having a v throttle valve situated therein. One of the 65 throttle valves 8 is controlled by an electroonly two working magnet similar to that illustrated in'Figs. 1,

2 and 3, with this variation, that the bracket 6 is maintained in position permanently, a locking screw 6 being provided for that purpose. The throttle valve 8 in the other bifurcation is angularly displaced by means of the centrifugal governor 8 through the mechanical connections illustrated.

I claim:

1. An electric regulator for internal combustion engines having in combination, an electromagnet, the windings of whichare included in an electric arc circuit, a steadying resistance in the electric arc circuit in shunt with the windings of the electro-magnet, a pivoted armature in proximity to the poles of said magnet, a spring acting on said armature in opposition to'themagnetic pull, a throttle v'alve, a throttle lever, mechanical connections between the throttle lever, and the armature and stops for limiting the, an-

,gular displacement of the throttle valve.-

2. An electric regulatorfor internal combustion engines having in combination, an electromagnet, thewindings of which are included in an electric arc circuit, a pivoted armature in proximity to the poles of said magnet, a spring acting onsaid armature in opposition to 'the'magnetic pull, a throttle valve, a throttle lever, mechanical connections between the throttle lever. and the armature, a rotatable bracket for supporting the electromagnet, the armature and the adjustable stops all in proper correlation one to the other, a lever mounted on said bracket and a quadrant for maintaining the lever in desired position.

3. An electric regulator for internal coma bustion engines having in combination, an electromagnet, the windings of which are in. cluded in an electric arc circuit, a pivoted armature in proximity to the poles of said 7 magnet, a spring acting on said armature in opposition to the magnetic pull, a throttle valve, a throttle lever, mechanical connections between the throttle lever and the armature, a rotatable bracket mounted coaxially with the axis of the throttle valve spindle for supporting the electromagnet the armature and the adjustable stops .all in proper correlation one to the other, a lever mounted on said bracket and a quadrant for maintaining the lever in desired position. I

4. An electric regulator for. internal com-- bustion engines, having in combination, a bifurcated inlet pipe, throttles in each of thebifurcations of said inlet pipe, a centrifugal governor operated by the engine and mef chanically connected to one of the said throt-v tle valves, an electromagnet the windings of which are connected in an electric arc circuit, a steadying resistance in the electric arc in shunt with the electro-magnet, a pivoted armature located in proximityto the poles of said magnet, a spring acting on said armature in opposition to the magnetic pull, In testimony whereof I have signed my mechanical connections between said armaname to this specification in the presence of ture and the throttle valve which is not contwo subscribing Witnesses.

nected with the centrifugal governor and HERBERT OGDEN. adjustable stops for limiting the angular Witnesses:

displacement of the last-named throttle w CHARLES S. R. BULLOUGH,

valve.

FREDERICK C. CRANFORD. 

